Door-latch.



G. WETTIG.

DOOR LATCH.

APPLICATION IILBD 00'1". 2} 1907.

Patented Feb. 1,1910.

WITNESSES:-

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COPAETNEMSHTP.

noon-Larch.

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Patented net. a, rate.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE Wn'r'nc, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at New Albany, iiithe county of Floyd and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Door-Latch, of which the following 18 a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in latches for securing doors, drawers and the like; and the objects of my-improvement are, security against shaking or arring open, to provide a latch which automatically takes up all lost motion between a door and the door-casing and consequently prevents rattling, comparative inexpensiveness of manufacture, to provide a latch which. may be used with some security as a lock, es ecially. the saving of time and labor in fitting to the door, and, dispensing with the conventional strike or keeper. These objects I attain by means of the device illustrated in the accompanying drawin in which Figure 1 is a view s owing the latch partly, in longitudinal section and a door, to which it is applied, in transverse sectlon Fig. 2, a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the latch in the open position; Fig. 3, a rear or inside view; Fig. 4, a face or outside view;

Fig. 5, a perspective view of the latch as assembled; Fig. 6, a plan view of the blank from which the casing is formed; and, F g. 7, a perspective view of the blank wlth its flan e. i

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The essential features of the latch are, a casing 4, a stem 3, a spring 8, and a pin 7. The casing 4 is a tube, preferably formed from sheet metal, and provided with antipodal slots 5 extending at an angle of approximately 45 degrees relative to the axis of the casing, open at the front end, and

provided with an internal flan e 6 at the rear end. f This casing is forme preferably from a blank of sheet metal, shown in Figs. 6 and 7, in which the slots 5 are first punched out, and the blank then formed into a tube, thus forming a butted tube, as shown in Fig. 5. The internal flange 6 may be .bent first at right angles to the plane of the blank and then formed as the tube is formed, or the flange may be crowded in u on a suitably formed mandrel by a suita 1y formed die. The walls of slots 5 form inclined planes after the manner of double screw threads. The stem 3 is preferably made of a straight piece of round stock of suitable diameter, provided with anannular groove 11 near its outer end, and havingfill its inner end bent at somewhat less than a rightangle to form a swinging latch member 12. The stem 3 is provided with an aperture adapted to receive a pin 7. Pin '7 extends through the aperture in stem 3, and its ends work in slots 5, bearing against the walls of the slots andthus impartin rotary motion to stem 3 when it is move longitudinall A collar 9 is provided adapted to fit snug y upon stem 3 and slidabl in cas ing 4.. The coil spring 9 fits into tie casing and over stem 3. Flange 6 receives the in ward thrust of spring 8 and collar 9 receives the outward thrust of the spring. Collar 9 is placed just within and a ainst pin 7, which prevents its being move out ward on stem-3 by the spring. Upon the outer end of stem 3 is mounted a cap 10, the inner edge of which is crimped into annular groove 11 to prevent its falling ofl. Cap 10 1s loosely mounted upon stem 3 in order that when the cap is pressed by the thumb it may not rotate under the thumb but the stern may be free to rotate within the cap. Cap 10 and the outer end of stem 3 are surmounted by a suitable handle or knob 2 which may be provided with an integral or attached escutcheon plate 13. The free end of latch member 12 may be somewhat flattened, as shown, in order to present a flat face to the surface of door-cas1ng 4.

The latch is assembled as followsz-The stem 3 is pushed through casin 4, spring 8 is placed over stem 3 and pushe into casing 4 till it rests against flange 6, collar 9 is placed over stem 3 and pushed down upon sprin 8 beyond the transverse perforation for pin 7. Pin 7 is then passed through slots cap 10 is inserted from the inside of the door, and the latch pushed through until the outer end of easing 4 enters the hole. The casing is made of a diameter slightly larger than the hole bored through the door, so that it makes a driving fit in the hole. The casing is driven in until flange 6' is flush with the inner surface of the door. Before driving, care should be taken that latch member 12 is so laced that it extends across the ed e of the cor. On account of the driving t no screws are necessaryv to secure the latch in the door. The knob 2 is then placed over cap 10 and the protruding stem, which guides the knob to its roper position, and the knob may be fastene by means of screws or escutcheon pins to the front-surface of the door. It will be appreciated that great care is not necessary in locating the hole into which the latch is to be driven, and there is no strike or catch to be located on the door casing, so that the latch is very easily and quickly applied.

In use, to open the door, it is necessary simply to place the first and second fingers under the flange of knob 2 and press with the thumb upon cap 10 so as to push stem 3 inward when latch member 12 will recede from the inner face of the door casing and swing around so that it will not engage the door casing when the door is opened, as shown in Fig. 2. It will be understood that latch member 12 advances toward the inner surface of the door and the door casing at the'same time that it swings around into the locking position, and it will continue to swing around and advance until its free end engages the door casing. By this means the door will always be drawn up tight whatever may be the swollen or shrunken condition of the wood,'and all lost motion and rattle of the door is prevented.

Having thus described my invention so that any one skilled in the art pertaining thereto may make and use it, I cla1m LA door latch comprising a casing adapted to be inserted in a round transverse hole in a door, said casing rovided with a spiral slot, a stem mounte to reci rocate vlon itudinally in said casing, a pin t rough sai stem so arranged that it engages the walls of the s iral slot in said casing and rotary motion is imparted to said stem when it moves relative to. said casing, a right-angular latch member on the inner end of said stem, and apush element on the outer end of said stem, H 2. A 'latchjcompnsing in combination, a

casing member, a longitudinally and rotary reciprocating stem member in said casing member, a swinging latch member on the' inner end of said stem member, a sprin member within said casing member, an

means for operatively connecting said casing member and said stem member in such a manner that when said stenr member moves longitudinally relative to said casing member rotary motion in imparted to said stem member.

3. A latch, comprising a cylindrical casmg 4 provided with angular slots 5 in its wall and an internal flange 6 at one end; a stem passing through said casing havin a swim mg latch member 3 on its inner en a pin passing diametrically therethrou h and engagin the slots 5 by its ends; and a spring 8 wit in said casing 4 confined between the internal flange'G and the pin 7.

4. In a door latch, a cylindrical casing adapted to be driven into a round transverse hole in a door, a stem slidably mounted in said casing, a spiral slot in said casing, means on said stem for en agement with the walls of the groove in said casing, a right-angular latch-member on the inner end of said stem adapted to swing into engagement with the door-frame, and a push-cap mounted on the outer end of said stem, all so arranged that when said stem is pushed inward toward the door, said latch-member swin s out of enga ement with the door-frame oth horizontal y and vertically, and when released said latch-member swings toward and into ongagement with the door-frame both horizontally and vertically.

5. A latch, comprising in combination, a casing member, a longitudinally and rotary reciprocatin stem member in said casing, a latch mem er inte al with said stem member, a spring mem lier within said casing member, and means for operatively connecting said'casing member, and said stem member in sucha manner that when said stem member moves longitudinally relative to said casing member rotary motion is imparted to said stem member.

Y GEORGE WETTIG.

Witnesses:

HENRY FORTWENGLER, ABRAHAM KNOBEL. 

